Watch: Coach pulls Nathan Martorella from mid-game after Marlins confirm trade
Luis Arraez will be heading over to the San Diego Padres in a five-player trade deal that involves Nathan Martorella, two other Padres prospects and a reliever pitcher going to the Miami Marlins.
Martorella was playing a minor league game for the San Antonio Missions against the Arkansas Travelers in the Texas League on Friday. He was pulled off second base mid-game by his coach as the news of the Luis Arraez trade deal reached the team's dugout.
A bemused Martorella, not knowing what happened, jogged back to the dugout, picked up his kit and left for the clubhouse.
Take a look at the video here:
Nathan Martorella was a fifth-round pick by the San Diego Padres in the 2022 MLB draft. The young infielder plays at first base and has been fairly decent so far in the minor leagues with the Padres' double-A affiliates, the San Antonio Missions.
This season, he was slashing at .292, with an OBP of .393, OPS of .820, and had smashed two home runs and driven in 14 runs so far in the campaign.
After graduating from Salinas High School, Martorella decided to play with the California Golden Bears baseball team, which is the D1 baseball team from the University of California. The Boston Red Sox initially drafted him in 2019, but Martorella refused to sign any contract with the ballclub.
Now, the Luis Arraez trade will see him take his talents to the East Coast with the Marlins. It will be interesting to see whether the Marlins activate his contract immediately or assign him to the minor leagues.
Nathan Martorella is an exciting young talent
Soon after the Miami Marlins decided upon the three prospects that they desired in the Luis Arraez deal, Nathan Martorella, being one of them, was asked to exit the field during a minor game and leave to sign with Miami at once. The Marlins will receive two other perspectives besides Martorella and a pitching reliever as well.
Nathan Martorella has been highly consistent with his home plate appearances since his high school days. In 2022, he slashed for .333/.424/.553 with 46 RBIs and 11 home runs on his way to joining the All-Pac-12 first team. He was fairly decent in the 2021 and 2020 seasons with the Golden Bears as well.
His versatility in the infield can see him play at first base and second base, though by default the lefty slugger prefers to play at first base.